Technological
Aspects
of Intense Pulsed Electron Beam Application for Properties Improvement and
Repair of Gas Turbine Engine Blades from Titanium Alloys
N. Nochovnaya1,
V. Shulov2, A. Paykin2, V. Engelko3, G.
Mueller4, A. Weisenburger4
1All-Russian Institute of Aviation Materials,
Moscow, Russia
2Chernyshev Machine Building Enterprise, Moscow,
Russia
3 Efremov Institute of Electro-physical
Apparatus, St. Peterburg, Russia
4
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, IHM, P.O. Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe,
Germany
The present paper
reviews the results achieved by the application of intense pulsed electron
beams (IPEB) for surface processing of titanium alloy compressor blades of
aircraft engines. The irradiation of these components was carried out in the
GESA-1 accelerator under the following conditions: electron energy – E=115-120
keV; pulse duration - t=20-40 ms; energy density in a pulse - w
from w=16 J/cm2 to w=50 J/cm² and number of pulses - n from n=1 to
n=10. The results of the investigations of the irradiated blades obtained using
EAS, X-ray analysis, SEM and TEM methods were discussed. It is shown that IPEB
treatment with lower values of energy density (w=18-20 J/cm2)
induces rapid melting, ablation and solidification which leads to the formation
of non-equilibrium microstructures. This kind of irradiation (w=18-20 J/cm2)
leads to surface smoothing and rapid solidification of the material in the
surface layer with a thickness around 2-5 mm. As a result, surface roughness of
the blades can be decreased from Ra=0.15-0.25 mm up to Ra=0.08-0.12 mm. Operating at low energy densities the most
important operating characteristics of compressor blades were improved significantly
by irradiation with IPEB. At high values of the energy density (w=25-50 J/cm2)
intense ablation takes place during a pulse. This operating regimes of
irradiation can be used for repair of compressor blades with resistant
coatings.